Learning Languages 語を勉強する

In a couple weeks I take my first big test for the Japanese language to see if I have learned anything at all... I certainly have tried. 

So, to mark the event I thought I would post about my favorite (and least favorite) language tools. 

My favorite learning resources for languages in general are: 

• The book Fluent Forever by Gabriel Wyner; I received a copy of this book from a friend when I was really discouraged and overwhelmed. It was wonderful for encouraging me, for motivating me, for reminding me that language learning is possible, and to help me structure my learning routine.
• Having an end goal or test to study towards (puts an attainable goal in mind and adds the necessary edge of pressure). Commit to something that is objective. 
• Submersion (in small doses at first so that you are not overwhelmed and give up).
• Singing songs in the target language (It was fun to sing songs that I was already familiar with in English, but generally better for studying if I learned new songs in the target language.) Youtube can be good for this, but make sure you have access to the written lyrics for validation. 
• Engaging in conversation with the language, even if it is simple and only with other newbies.
• Taking a class with a tutor. This cannot be overstated. Look online or for a community class in your area. 
• Putting sticky notes of vocab on objects around my house.
• Spark Charts
• Taping a vocab list to my mirror (to study when I brush my teeth).
• Messaging with other people who can only understand the target language (see websites like https://www.hellolingo.com/ if you need a friend in your target language.)
• Picture dictionaries in the target language
• Flashcards that I made without English on them, explain each vocab word with a picture.
• Spaced repetition software like anki for vocab
• Basic grammar dictionary
• Workbooks or notebooks that I used as notebooks. Repetition really is the key to learning. 
• Online grammar and vocab lists compiled by many different talented vloggers and bloggers. Beware of getting lost on the internet, though.
• Good old fashioned determination; every time you look a work up again you are one step closer to remembering it forever. 

For Japanese specifically I liked: 

• Kana Invaderds (https://learnjapanesepod.com/kana-invaders/) the perfect game for learning the writing system.
• Genki textbook series. They are amazing and easy to understand, even without a tutor.
• Jisho.org (a fantastic online dictionary which also has an app).
• Concise list of Japanese verbs (see the multi-part list at http://www.thejapanguy.com/100-japanese-verbs-you-should-know-part-1/)
• Puns (https://www.italki.com/article/293/learn-vocabulary-through-japanese-puns-dajare)
• Japanese through Pictures book (ISBN-13: 978-4794600738)
• Polar Bear Cafe (lhttps://myanimelist.net/anime/12815/Shirokuma_Cafe)  or any book which is simple enough to not be overwhelming, interesting enough to keep you motivated, and encourages you to engage one-on-one with the language
• Online NHK lessons (http://www.nhk.or.jp/lesson/english/)
• Books for shadowing and emulating a language. Really make sure you make all the sounds right from the beginning. Do not build bad habits. I bought this one (ISBN-13: 978-4874243541) 
• Kanji workbook (ISBN-13: 978-4-384-05635-8)
• Concise vocab books (ISBN-13: 978-4863920101)
• Books to test and spur on progress such as (ISBN-13: 978-4872179408)
• Speak Japanese in 90 days by Kevin Marx

Poor life choices...

There were a few resources that were less than helpful. Some of these may be obvious, but I feel obliged to offer the list...

• Netflix 
• Youtube (it has good material including the links I attached above... but it is such a dangerous place to "search" for tools.)
• Rosetta stone (This software was really fun if you have a decent foundation, but starting from nil I found this software more agitating than helpful.)
• Mina No Nihongo textbook series. Just do not do it. Do not put yourself through that. 
• Not practicing (procrastinating is the worst.)
• Buying all the resources at once without setting a specific schedule or goals and yet promising myself that I will be awesome real soon. Do not make my mistake. Be realistic. Do not overbuy. You already are awesome, now prove it by studying.

Hotels ホテル

So this post is long overdue since the last time I stayed in a hotel was four months ago... So for getting this to you so slowly, but here it finally is. What is it like to stay in a Japanese hotel?
 Well, first off, I have only stayed in a few hotels - just enough to convince me that every hotel experience in Japan will not be the same. Like in the states there will be a unique flavor and service in each (although you can generally expect to avoid the misfortune of the terrifying american motel.) In general there are two types of hotels, business hotels and traditional hotels. I have only stayed in business hotels which are the more western of the two. For a flavor of a traditional Japanese guesthouse you can check out this video from some of my favorite vloggers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6N_TFXpaHAQ

In the spirit of tradition, hotels often have disposable slippers for patrons to wear inside the room because the Japanese have something against being barefoot. On more than one occasion the hotel has even supplied a yukata like a bathrobe for my convenience. 

In tho photos above you can see the view from the front of a hotel near mount fuji and a miniature model which they had in the lobby of that same hotel. The card is demonstrating a nifty little feature in one of the hotels. In order to turn lights or electricity on you had to deposit your key card in this machine by the door. If you removed the key (a.k.a. left the room) the lights would automatically turn off.

In most of the hotels, instead of a coffee maker they have a water heater and green tea... which is just not a solution when I want some coffee. 

When it comes to other amenities, hotels have the standard shower-bath and bed and such. However, the floor space of each room is often much smaller than you would expect in America. In one of my hotels, the entire room/bathroom combination was probably less than 150 square feet. In this smaller hotel there was no closet, just a bar of hangers on the wall at the foot of the bed for my clothes. 

One thing that I was encouraged to find was the shelf of books in English and Japanese, including a Bible (above the hairdryer). Some things are universal. 

Petting Zoo

One of the tourist attractions that I visited last spring was a petting zoo.

 It was exactly the same as one back in the states except that the zoo highly advised that visitors wear the supplied gloves and all of the creatures were adorably small (rabbits, guinea pigs, chicks, doves, and squirrels etc...) Occasionally there were normal petting zoo animals like sheep, but there is something infinitely better about a herd of guinea pigs. 

Below are some of my favorite photos.

Ramen Festival

 Several months ago my city was the home of a Ramen Festival. Basically, dozens of vendors lined up by Senba lake and sold lots of noodles in soup. Some tents sold trinkets and several street performers came out for the occasion, but mostly it was all about the food.  This was the annual ramen festival.  Early every spring, when it is still cold enough to enjoy cupping a hot cup of soup in your hands, dozens of vendors set up their shops in one long line of tents. In front of these tents the shop attendants post signs and shout the familiar and somewhat nasal phrase "irashaimase," which means welcome to our shop, and beckon passersby into their queue. Each of the many shops have their own specialty. Meats of all ken, eggs, spices, and secret ingredients that would make your mouth water - or as an america they at least made me question what exactly is in that bowl???????

Since we are already at a festival, let's get dessert. Your options are sesame flavored soft serve ice cream and rice-bran coated mochi. You can see the shop keeper nearly begging you to try a sample as he makes fresh batch of mochi.

Once you decide on your tasty treat, sit down and enjoy the show put on by a street performer. For the first time, live and in person, I saw someone contact juggling - one of those things I desperately wish I could do... but I don't have the time for that right now. 

So, like I did, sit down and enjoy the show. 

Dressing Rooms

The protocol for dressing rooms is shockingly different from the states... or at least the ones I am used to. To start with, I have never questioned the cleanliness of the fitting room floor. 

        When you approach the dressing room the floor is raised which, in Japan, means you have to take off your shoes. Even the most rudimentary changing room will have this feature. Even in a warehouse style used clothing store  there was a 3x3 foot wooden board raising the room inches above the concrete floor. Of course, one of the reasons for this is the compulsive attention to shoes rand cleanliness which is apparent throughout Japanese culture. I have difficulty adapting to the complicated shuffle of shoe-slipper-sock and slippers. I can't argue with the results, though.  Beyond cleanliness, I soon discovered another reason. The empty shoes outside the little cubicles is the best way to tell whether it is in use.  

       Without sounding ungreatful for the states, I just want to make a note about the incredible service industry here. Japanese stores know how to treat their customers well. This image shows a head cloth. If we have them in the states, I have never seen them. The are to cover ladies faces as they pull a shirt or dress over their head so that makeup does not smear on the clothing. (That is what the sign next to it says.) Where has this brilliance been my whole life?

Green 緑

 

Looking back through some of my posts, I am recognizing that I disproportionately concern myself with plants in Japan. Clearly I am more nature lover than night life. Since it is still summer here  I surprise myself with how much I do outdoors. Heat reaches a point that no amount of ice-packs or scenery can compensate for.... But the sweltering temperatures are showing signs of reprieve, at last, so I can finally enjoy walking again.

So in a salutation to summer, I want to write a ode to its beautiful green. The scenes below are from the beginning of the season in the same gardens that the plum blossom post featured.

http://linguadiscipuli.blogspot.jp/2016/03/plum-blossoms.html

The hesitant and testing tendril of spring

is gone,

replaced by the lush and verdant 

hollow logs which wade through living rivers of grass,

cascading down a hill.

Now that summer's almost done, I yearn for its demise,

but I forget the shock of green, the flourish and delight.

Don't Settle, Excel.

      One of my first posts was a description (stages) of how it felt to prepare to move to a new country. What I did not anticipate was how many stages of adjustment I would have to go through after I arrived. They say that moving to a new culture has three basic stages: Excitement when everything is still new and exotic, Frustration when homesickness and exhaustion set in, and Conformity when a person assimilates to the new culture and enjoys it for what it is. I think the lines between these three are blurred and, at least for me, can be split into many more, smaller stages.

      Before you read my list, especially if you have never lived abroad, I do not want this to discourage you from doing so. I am truly happy in my new home and would (and probably will) move to foreign country again because it is fun as well as challenging. It has made me a stronger person and I like who I have become as a result of it. However, do not let anyone lie to you, moving to another country has been the hardest thing I have ever done, harder than writing a thesis (in a very different way).

1. The Flood:

     Swept away by the emotions and experiences of jet-lag and moving, I was just trying to stay afloat. I was not concerned about faux pas, just the basic necessities. Literally, I just needed to stay alive.

2. Overwhelmed:

     By about two weeks into my move I was still more concerned with staying alive than fitting in, but this time I was also enjoying the adventure of it all. I started taking long walks just to explore. One trip to the grocery store down the street could turn into a day-trip full of unexpected occurrences. It was a sensory and information overload and it started to feel overwhelming at this point because I was beginning to realize just how hard this move and adjustment would be.

3 Going Under:

     This stage in the move did not feel so much like being overwhelmed as it just felt like I had no time. Looking back, I know that my constant stress level was through the roof and there were a million things to do and learn before survival became easier. It wasn't until after this stage that my friends said they say that they saw me smile - really smile - for the first time since moving.

4. Folly of False Confidence: 

      That little bit of confidence that allows you to try something new which results in utter and embarrassing failure? yeah.

5. Overwhelmed:

     Yup, again.

      Believe it or not, moving can make you feel overwhelmed a lot. This time when I felt overwhelmed I submitted to the feeling instead of distracting myself with things to do. When I felt the intense anxiety and confusion of culture shock (and confronting even mundane, daily tasks in a foreign language can bring that on ... including asking for help) I turned to isolation activities like Netflix and reading.

So I sequestered myself in my house. 

      Taking time away from culture shock can be good, and relaxing alone is necessary too. But the degree to which I did this was not good.

6. Recognition:

     This is the point when I finally realized that I was running and hiding from the outside world. Before then it was an unconscious response, not a intentional decision. This is the point when I went into a lot of deep reflection, thinking, journaling, talking it out with friends, and generally getting to know myself better. I put a name to my anxieties and fears, prayed about them, and was finally able to confront them. Step 5 was definitely worth taking for me because the depth of isolation led to recognition in a way that would have been impossible without it. God gives us depths so that He can show us how far He has brought us. This stage made me realize again how hard moving was (like 2 and 4), how great it is, and allowed me to reassess where I had been and where I am going. For me this stage first started around the 3 month mark.

7. Testing Tendril:

     The recognition stage gave me a new determination and motivation. It convinced me that the embarrassment and general discomfort of learning a new language and how to live in a foreign country is worth while for the new knowledge. Some anxiety is just part of life.

So here goes nothing... a little bit at a time.

8. Reinforcement:

     Because I am reaching out, I am growing. I do not always feel the growth at the time but I can look back and see the growth through hindsight. The joy of accomplishing something, getting something right, understanding a foreign conversation... that is a joy that I hope you have experienced and will experience again. I have grown a lot and, in some activities, I am now completely comfortable where I felt lost and helpless a year ago.

      Unfortunately, I cannot seem to stay in the confidence of step 8. Instead there seems to be an endless cycle of stages 5-8. Like the cycles of the mythical Wheel of Fortune, reaching the top means I will eventually fall down; striking bottom forces me to reach back up.  Each cycle varies in time and degree. Sometimes it is completed in a few days and sometimes it is weeks, but the cycle goes on.

     When I first arrived, I could not have described the stages this way. Life was too hectic and  I was still wading through the thick of it. However, looking back the peaks-and-troughs of emotional waves seem to break off into these distinct segments.

     If anyone has moved internationally - or even from one city to another - have you felt any of these stages? Which ones did you feel most strongly? How long did the stages take for you and which ones seemed longer for you?

Fukuroda Falls 滝

Fukuroda Waterfalls

This waterfall is the most famous in my region, and is advertised as being the perfect spot for a romantic outing. The park has even portioned off sections of the walk for couples to find their moment for a scenic kiss. The waterfall itself was smaller than I expected, but that is partially due to the season. In the summer the whole park was green and alive, but the waterfall was only a trickle compared to the spring. 

Near the entrance to the waterfall park there are several diners and omiyage shops hoping to catch your attention as you arrive and leave. Honestly, it is worth making time to look through some of these because the shops are very traditional and quaint and greatly add to the experience of visiting the falls. Even if you are not a window shopper (who isn't naturally a window shopper??) the shops feature climate control to warm you in the winter and cool you in the summer. Trust me, after a long walk around the falls, climate control is quite welcome .

Once you pass the shops you follow the river and pay the couple hundred yen for entrance to the falls. Then you walk through an underground tunnel, a cool, damp walk to hide from the heat in the summer... but I imagine it is unpleasantly icy in the winter. Every ten thirty meters or so there is a break in the tunnel for a glimpse of the outside world. In the end of the tunnel is a shrine and a veranda to view the bottom of the falls for your Kodak moment. However, for the best pictures you must take the elevator three stories up and climb a few stairs. There at the top is a giant cutout of the local mascot along with a billboard illustrating where you are in the province, in Japan, in the world, and - my personal favorite - in the milky way galaxy. This galaxy image is also used to demonstrate how the waterfalls were originally formed, but I enjoyed being told where I am in the grander scheme of things. Think big.

What you will see and what you can do varies drastically by season. The changing foliage in the fall fires up the woods with colors. In the winter you can climb the frozen water (as depicted fuzzily in the picture above). In the summer it is so alive and green. In the spring the water roars down in torrents. Once you visit the falls you can walk along an old rope bridge and through the woods to a little lunch shop tucked away in the trees before heading back to the entrance and the real world. 

Even if this trip was not exactly what I had imagined, it was well worth the experience. 

Snack Time! おやつ

Oyatsumi is a way of saying "I am a little hungry." It comes a time in Japanese history when it was customary to only have two meals a day so around three o'clock (yattsu) it was normal to be "a little hungry" and grab a snack. Now there are many different kinds of oyatsumi sold in convenience stores and grocery stores - most of them count as junk food: chips, candies, crackers, and little toys. 

Many of the sweets or crackers used to be sold in independent snack shops for cheep called dagoshi-ya when Japan had its economic boom after the war. Now these shops are reserved for tourists traps and nostalgia - like an old fashioned ice cream parlor in the US. Here is a documentary made in Japan about them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7YNLYqCuBM

If you are now thinking, "I've got to get me some of that" then here is a website that sells Japanese snacks and ships them worldwide. https://oyatsubox.com/ or https://oyatsucafe.com/